dog-swept-away-by-rough-waters-of-merrimack-river-29275156.html

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Five exotic animals are back on the eastern Ohio farm where they lived months ago before their owner abandoned them and released dozens of other wild animals into the rural community, then killed himself.

The widow of Terry Thompson picked up two leopards, two primates and a bear from the Columbus zoo on Friday and returned them to their former home in Zanesville where 50 animals — including black bears, mountain lions and Bengal tigers — were released Oct. 18.

Authorities killed 48 of the animals, fearing for the public’s safety. Two others were presumed eaten by other animals. The surviving animals were found in cages and placed under quarantine at the zoo. Ohio’s agriculture director lifted the quarantine order Monday, after test results showed all five animals were free of dangerously contagious or infectious diseases.

Thompson’s suicide, the animals’ release, and their killings led lawmakers to re-examine Ohio’s restrictions on exotic pets, which are considered some of the nation’s weakest.

Now that Marian Thompson has retrieved the animals, nothing in Ohio law allows state officials to check on their welfare or require improvements to conditions in which they are kept. The state’s agriculture department says it will be up to local authorities to be alert to their caretaking.

“Ohio has done everything in its power to keep local officials informed throughout this process to ensure they had as much information as possible in advance of this threat returning to their backyard,” said David Daniels, the state’s agriculture director.

Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban new ownership of dangerous animals — but grandfather in owners such as Thompson. The bill is on track to pass the Legislature this month.

Should it become law, Thompson would have to register the animals with the state, obtain liability insurance and pay permit fees of at least $1,000 by 2014. She also would have to pass a background check, microchip the animals and meet strict new caretaking standards, including fencing requirements.

For now, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said there is not much local authorities can do as long as the animals are being cared for properly. “At the first complaint we have, we’ll follow up,” he said.

Ron Welch, the county’s assistant prosecuting attorney, said his office made several attempts to persuade Thompson’s attorney to allow an inspector, the sheriff and a humane officer to see the cages at the property before the animals returned. They were denied.

“We were very disappointed with that because we felt that we just wanted at that point to provide some sense of security to our citizens and our community that this was in fact a safe place for these animals to be kept,” Welch said.

Thompson arrived at a loading area at the zoo mid-morning Friday, driving a pickup truck pulling a silver horse trailer. The two leopards growled as they were loaded into crates in the trailer. A forklift loaded a steel cage carrying the bear. Thompson put her hand on the metal cage, as if to comfort the animal. In smaller carriers, the monkeys were placed inside the backseat of the truck cab.

Zoo staffers, including veterinarians and keepers, helped with the transfer. Two U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors were also on hand. Thompson ignored shouted questions from nearby news reporters.

Thompson previously tried to get the animals back from the zoo, but the quarantine prevented her from taking them.

Her home in Zanesville sits about a quarter-mile from a rural road, surrounded by fields and pastures where horses graze. A “Welcome Back!” balloon was tied to the mailbox, as her truck carrying the animals made its way down the property’s long lane.

News media could see the bear being unloaded into a cage, of what appeared to be thick iron bars, in the yard. Some of her neighbors were concerned about the animals’ return.

Sam Kopchak, 65, said if the animals were healthy, then his neighbor should get them back.

“I just wish she would take them somewhere else,” said Kopchak, a retired teacher whose property shares a border with Thompson’s.

Thompson’s lawyer has told the state’s agriculture department that his client has adequate cages for the surviving animals. Multiple messages left for Robert McClelland were not returned.

Tom Stalf, the Columbus zoo’s chief operating officer, was at Thompson’s the day of the Zanesville release. He said the primates taken in the zoo had been held in separate, small bird cages, and the brown bear was kept in a cage that wasn’t fit for its size.

“There was feces on the floor, in the cages,” Stalf said. “You could not get a fresh breath.”

Cyndi Huntsman, a friend of Thompson’s, has told The Associated Press that Thompson had cleaned the cages.

Of the animals that Terry Thompson released, three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a bear survived and were taken to the zoo. One spotted leopard had to be euthanized at the zoo in January. The macaques are small primates.

The zoo said it raised more than $44,000 in online donations to help cover the costs of at least $120,000 to care for the animals

http://news.yahoo.com/5-wild-animals-back-ohio-farm-safety-debated-223047970.html

Here’s a male Pit Bull with a lot of maternal instinct and amazing patience

Photo by: Mali Azima/Getty Images

Angel the Seeing Eye Horse

The last time April Cooper saw Princess she was a little puppy. Now she’s a mom!

missing-dog-reunited-with-owner-after-6-years-29039519.html

A motorist in La Puente, California, captured video of Grace lying down next to her friend, a yellow Labrador retriever who had been struck and injured by another vehicle.

Click here to view video: loyal-labrador-braves-traffic-wait-friend-side-172446596.html

Grace lies patiently next to the other dog as cars whiz by dangerously close to the lane she and her companion are positioned in. She does not seem bothered by the noise or the busy street as she stays by her companion’s side. The motorist who shot the video put out safety cones to protect the dogs and then called animal control.

Unfortunately, Grace’s companion did not survive.

UPDATE:    

Owners Claim Loyal Labrador

By City News Service  April 16, 2012

The owners of a Labrador retriever that was found guarding the body of a dog killed by a hit-and-run driver on a busy La Puente street have contacted authorities.

The black Labrador — whose name is Maggie, had no identification tag and no microchip to identify her owner. Animal control workers retrieved the dead dog and the black Labrador, then circulated the photos and video to news media, and the story garnered international attention.

“She’s a rock star,” Reyes said this morning. “You know what I think makes her so famous is just her display of compassion and loyalty. She sat there with her buddy …”

Reyes said the owners of the dog contacted authorities today, and provided documentation that showed Maggie is their pet.

They will take possession of the animal, probably tomorrow, after authorities inspect their property, Reyes said. The owners, whose names were not being released publicly, will be issued citations for having an unregistered dog, and for allowing the animal to run loose, Reyes said.

http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/old-pet-correctly-calculate-dog-cats-age-162200633.html

Most people think that calculating the age of dogs and cats in “human years” is quite simple: multiply their age by seven. For example, a 4-year-old dog or cat would actually be 28 years old in human years.

But when you really begin weighing out the arithmetic, this method doesn’t add up. Say a 1-year-old dog is the equivalent of a 7-year-old human — get out of here! How many 7-year-old humans are sexually active and capable of reproducing?

DOGS

Aging is much faster during a dog’s first two years but varies among breeds. Large breeds, while they mature quicker, tend to live shorter lives. By the time they reach 5 they are considered “senior” dogs. Medium-sized breeds take around seven years to reach the senior stage, while small and toy breeds do not become seniors until around 10.

Many veterinarians agree that a pretty good guess on the age of pets can be made using the following formula. Although still simple, it is much more accurate than the seven-year method.

Assume that a 1-year-old dog is equal to a 12-year-old human and a 2-year-old dog is equal to a 24-year old human. Then add four years for every year after that. (Example: A 4-year-old dog would be 32 in human years.)

Since this method takes into consideration the maturity rate at the beginning of a dog’s life and also the slowing of the aging process in his later years, Martha Smith, director of veterinary services at Boston’s Animal Rescue League, feels that this is the more accurate calculation formula. Here is a chart, for easy reference (click on chart to enlarge):

A dog’s average lifespan is around 12 or 13 years, but again, this varies widely by breed. The larger your dog is, the less time it will live. Female dogs tend to live a little longer.

CATS

Now let’s take a glimpse at a simple formula for calculating feline age in human years.

Assume that a 1-year-old cat is equal to a 15-year-old human and a 2-year-old cat is equal to a 24-year-old human. Then add four years for every year after that. (Example: A 4-year-old cat would be 32 in human years.)

The following chart shows this formula of calculation (click on chart to enlarge) :

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/apr/09/kitties-in-the-klink/

By Paris Achen, Columbian Staff Reporter,  April 9, 2012

Photos By: Steven Lane

Larch Corrections inmate Joey Contreras and Princess Natalie, a long-haired black feline, have at least two commonalities: both know what it’s like to live in captivity, and both needed unconditional love.

The convict and the cat may have filled that need for each other. Through a new cat foster program at the minimum-security Larch Corrections Center near Yacolt, Natalie came to live with Contreras, 28, and inmate Joseph Walter, 37, about two weeks ago in their 12-by-10-foot cell, which resembles a dormitory room.

“He’s really a cat hog,” Walter joked, as he observed Contreras cuddling with Princess Natalie on his cot. “He lets me touch her every now and then.”

In the two weeks since its launch, the Cuddly Catz program already has made a difference in the lives of the cats and the inmates, said Larch employees and inmates.

Princess Natalie would likely have been euthanized without the program, said Cuddly Catz volunteer Marsha Thomas-Carney.

Behavioral changes

Thomas-Carney, who had been caring for the rescue cat in hope of adopting her, said Princess Natalie’s spraying, scratching and biting habits, apparently intended to obtain more attention in a home filled with other foster cats, had driven Thomas-Carney to consider giving her to the pound. Given Princess Natalie’s behavioral problems, her chances of survival at the pound were grim, Thomas-Carney said.

Instead, Princess Natalie joined the inmates at Larch.

“You can see the behavioral changes in just two weeks,” Thomas-Carney said. Princess Natalie hasn’t sprayed since her arrival at the prison, presumably because she receives all the attention she needs, Walter said.

“Literally, they rescued her from death,” Thomas-Carney said.

After hearing that, Contreras smiles like a proud father.

A purr of compassion

The cats also foster change in the inmates, who feel a sense of purpose in rehabilitating the felines.

“When you’re doing prison time, you get set in certain ways and forget what it’s like to have everyday interactions and be compassionate,” Contreras said. “It’s a little different when you have an animal depending on you to survive. Animals bring out the best in people.”

Walter said prison time can make inmates mean.

The cat’s unconditional love brings out their compassionate side, he said.

“It makes your soft side come out,” added inmate Richard Amaro, 35, who cares for another cat in the program.

Joey Contreras, with foster cat Princess Natalie, relaxes on Contreras’ cot at Larch Corrections Center. Princess Natalie is part of the Cuddly Catz program at the Yacolt-area facility

Three-year-old Clementine lives with Amaro and cellmate William Lozano, 24. The two cats are the only ones in the program, but Larch officials hope to eventually expand the program to include more cats.

Lozano has become more social since Clementine arrived, said Larch counselor Monique Camacho.

“He’s had 100 percent more interaction with staff than he did before,” Camacho said. “Lozano was so quiet, he wouldn’t even look at the staff, let alone talk to them. Now, he’s forced to interact with us and other inmates.”

Lozano said that’s true, because Clementine makes him feel more at home.

A cat’s persistence

Superintendent Eleanor Vernell decided to start a cat program at the prison after having a surprisingly pleasant experience with her son’s cat.

“I am not a cat lover,” Vernell said. “I would go to my son’s house, and the cat would run under me. Even though I didn’t like cats, I grew to like that cat.”

Gwen Sidlo, a spokesperson at Larch, recalled a conversation with Vernell when the superintendent was considering whether to start the program.

“She said, ‘That cat (Vernell’s son’s cat) was really persistent,’” Sidlo recounted. “‘If that cat could win me over, that cat could win anybody over,’” including hard-shelled inmates.

Vernell asked Camacho to create the program and find a cat rescue organization to provide the cats. Cuddly Catz was formed out of Furry Friends cat rescue organization of Vancouver to do just that.

Keeping the cats safe

Participating in the program involves an extensive screening process, Camacho said. The main priority is to keep the animals safe, Vernell said. Hence, inmate candidates must not have committed a violent crime against animals or humans, are required to be free of infractions at the prison for at least six months and will be at the prison for at least 12 months after the time they receive the cat.

The state Department of Corrections spent nearly $1,028 to build an outdoor enclosure at the prison, where the inmates and cats can take some fresh air and have more space to play. Other than that, the program costs the department nothing, Sidlo said. Community volunteers provide food, litter and other supplies, such as cat condos donated by Royal Meow Cat Castles of Vancouver.

A perk of participating in the program is living in a cell with just one roommate. Other inmates share a cell with three others. Inmates keep a journal of their cat’s progress and, ultimately, are the ones who decide when the cat is ready for adoption, said Kelly Clarke, Cuddly Catz volunteer. Cuddly Catz hopes to be able to list the cats ready for adoption on petfinder.com when the time comes.

Program effectiveness

Animal programs are popular in correctional facilities, but the effectiveness of the programs is largely anecdotal, according to a 2006 study by Kansas State University’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work.

The study, published in the Journal of Family Social Work, found that pet programs have the “potential to break down barriers of fear and mistrust between staff and inmates.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests the program also reduces stress and behavior infractions within prison walls and recidivism after release.

Vernell said she’s noticed the cats have a soothing effect on inmates.

However, there has been no study of data to confirm those effects, the KSU study cautioned.

The benefits of pets in institutional settings were first observed by accident in 1975 when an inmate at Lima State Hospital in Ohio adopted an injured sparrow, according to the KSU study.

Staff members noticed an immediate change in inmate behavior in the ward. After a year, they reported a reduction in need for medications, violence and suicides compared with wards without a pet, the study stated.

Prison pet programs existed in at least 20 states as of 2006, though no one has done a comprehensive count of the programs’ prevalence, the study found.

Foster cat Clementine is doing time to improve her social skills at the Larch Corrections Center as part of the Cuddly Catz program. Program volunteers said her shyness has made her difficult to place with a family with children or other pets.

Inmates William Lozano, left, and Richard Amaro, said their foster cat, Clementine provides a calming home-like environment at Larch Corrections Center